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Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Title:* * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * *
Notice:Conference has been write-locked. Use new version.
Moderator:DYPSS1::SCHAFER
Created:Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:Mon Aug 29 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2852
Total number of notes:33157

2177.0. "Songwriters will try anything." by WMOIS::MACKAY () Wed Nov 22 1989 19:13

    
    Traditional means of bringing original compositions to the attention 
    of leaders in the music industry involve a variety of ways. 
    
    One way in which a singer/songwriter could do this would be to make a
    demo tape, research into who to send it to, and mail out a hundred
    copies to publishers, producers, artist and repertoire (A&R), recording
    artists, their hairdressers, etc.. This seems to be rather expensive
    and holds no guarantee that the post office won't return your unopened
    letter marked "Not accepting unsolicited material". 
    
    Another way would be to take a trip to the Big Apple with a suitcase
    full of tapes and hand them out on the street corner hoping that one of 
    the people you hand it to was the person who refused the appointment
    you tried to schedule 3 months earlier.
    
    There are services that say that for so much money and perhaps your
    signature on the bottom line signing away all your rights they'll bring 
    your tapes around to all their contacts. You later find out they had
    no contacts and that you're either out cold hard cash or that your
    composition is no longer your composition.
    
    The contests seem to be a pretty good channel. However the one I am 
    (still) contemplating entering wants me to send my tapes with no labels
    so as to not influence them by my of course famous name. I am leary of
    sending out stuff without copyright notice. Perhaps I'll send it out
    anyways but labelled even if they don't want me to. (I know that
    unpublished phonorecords do not require notice. My underlying works
    have been registered).
    
    Another idea that might be worth pursuing is attending a local
    convention or seminar. 
    
    I noticed an ad in Billboard the other day where a sonwriter was
    looking for a producer on the up'n'up. I'm wondering what kind of
    response he got.
    
    
    There are a whole lot of ways to get your songs heard. Can anyone think
    of a few I didn't mention? Which ones have you tried? Has anyone tried 
    washing windows at 14 stories high to get into the offices of record 
    executives? 
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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2177.1discover yourselfSALSA::MOELLERLMF on Ultrix - it's up to YOUMon Nov 27 1989 15:356
    .. how about recording your own album, obtaining independent
    distribution and see what happens ?
    
    .. if you wait to be 'discovered', good luck ..
    
    karl
2177.2roll over beethovenACESMK::KUHNZiggy played guitar...Mon Nov 27 1989 20:182
    I think its either do it all yourself or know somebody.
    I was always suprised at how polite some of the rejections were!
2177.3WMOIS::MACKAYWed Dec 06 1989 12:2715
    
    It shouldn't be necessary to do it all yourself. After all, how many 
    albums that are in the top 40 now were written, performed, recorded, 
    manufactured, and distributed by one person?
    
    I'll agree that it's great if you can do it all, plus it seems to be 
    a challenging project. It's probably the only way you can guarantee
    that the total job gets done and you learn a lot in the process.
    
    
    One way that wasn't mentioned was getting your song onto a compilation 
    tape. I have no idea how effective this is.
    
    Yes, probably the most effective is IF you know someone. Getting
    contacts is important.